BCS Games: Your Guide to the College Football Postseason

By Jake Simpson

NCAA

"It's the most wonderful tiiiiiiime of the year..."

That's
right, it's college football's bowl season. The only major American
sport to have a postseason that includes teams with no chance at
winning a championship (in this case, only two out of 70 bowl
participants have a shot), bowls are nonetheless a hallmark of the
holiday season and a chance for millions of alumni to reach into the
past and dredge up some school spirit. Here's what to watch for in the
2010-11 bowl lineup (all times Eastern).

P.S. The full names of the bowls, with sponsors, are included purely for amusement.

Boise
State lost out on a second straight BCS game and a $10 million payday
after its shocking overtime loss to Nevada last month. But the Broncos
can lock down yet another top 10 finish with a win over Utah, which has
won a remarkable nine straight bowl games. The clash of the two best
non-automatic qualifier programs not named TCU should favor Heisman Trophy finalist
Kellen Moore and Boise State, provided they can shake off their
late-season disappointment and come to play.

Player to Watch: Justin Blackmon, wide receiver, Oklahoma State

The
best wideout in the country takes his talents to San Antonio in a Dec.
29 Alamo Bowl clash with Arizona. How good is Blackmon? The sophomore
appeared in 11 of the Cowboys' 12 games this season (missing the other
because of a one-game suspension due to a misdemeanor DUI charge).
Blackmon had a minimum of 105 yards receiving, one touchdown and a
catch of at least 29 yards—in every game. And he's going up against an
Arizona team that lost its last four games. Look for Keyshawn Johnson-like stats from the future top-10 draft pick.

At
first blush, this game looks like a mismatch. LSU was a top-five team
for most of the season, while A&M wasn't even the second-best team
in the Big 12's South Division. But the Aggies are on a tear of late,
riding into the Cotton Bowl on a six-game wining streak that includes
victories over Oklahoma and Nebraska. The Tigers, meanwhile, were
denied a BCS bowl appearance by Arkansas, which exposed major holes in
the LSU defense in a 31-23 win. A&M will keep it close and could
easily score just enough points to pull out a nail-biter.

Nebraska
was a national championship contender into November and fell one or two
plays short of winning the Big 12 title game. Washington was 3-6 at one
point and squeaked by 2-9 Washington State in their final
regular-season game just to become bowl eligible. Oh, and Nebraska beat
Washington 56-21 in September, hounding highly touted quarterback Jake
Locker into a truly horrific performance (4-20, 71 yards, two INTs).
Even if the Cornhuskers sleepwalk through this game, they're winning by
three touchdowns. If they come angry about their missed BCS opportunity
and determined to inflict punishment, it could get really ugly.

Honorable Mention: Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Connecticut vs. No. 7 OklahomaDon't
get me started on an unranked team that lost to Rutgers and Temple
making the BCS. Let's just agree it's a crappy system and move on.

Back in the 80s, these two played three memorable games in three years in what were dubbed the "Catholics vs. Convicts"
contests. Now they are both programs in disarray with a combined 12-10
record this year and only one coach between them (Miami fired coach
Randy Shannon after the regular season). This will likely be the
depressing contest where the "look back" montages are more interesting
than the actual game.

The Wolf Pack and
their "Pistol" offense burst onto the national stage when they upset
Boise State, they've shown they can beat power-conference opposition
with a 52-31 win over California earlier this year, and Colin Kaepernick
is the best quarterback you've never heard of. Nevada can (and should)
become the latest non-AQ school to score one for the little guy with a
win over aggressively mediocre Boston College in the Kraft Fight Hunger
Bowl on Jan. 9.

Wisconsin's
power running attack meets a TCU defense that allowed a total of 23
points over a six-game stretch in midseason. On the other side of the
ball, Horned Frogs' quarterback Andy Dalton will face a Badgers'
defense that has been good enough to win but can be scored on. After
its second straight undefeated regular season, TCU was again left out
of the BCS Championship Game and forced to grumble that their only
chance to win it all seems to be a playoff system. Now they get their
chance to hang with the big boys. This game also wins the Most
Disturbing Insertion of a Title Sponsor Into a Venerable Bowl Game
award.

The
best national title game in recent memory was Texas' 41-38 thriller
over USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl that included a Pantheon performance
from Vince Young, the Longhorns' mobile quarterback. This year's
championship could see that many points by halftime, a mobile
quarterback will be just as important, and the game could be just as good.
Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton may have been shrouded in scandal for
much of the year, but if he can lead Auburn to the title this season
will go down as one of the best in college football history. Oregon
will rely on elite running back LaMichael James as it carries the hope
of non-Southeastern Conference schools everywhere (an SEC school has
won the last four national titles). Auburn's defense should disrupt the
Oregon rushing attack just enough to give the Tigers the edge, but with
the Ducks' Blur offense on display, this one may go down to the final
seconds.